The present invention relates to pad printers. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotating cliché pad printing system.
Pad printing systems are used to apply high quality print, e.g. indicia. Pad printing systems use a deformable pad which receives ink, transferred as an image, from a cliché plate. The plate has an etching or engraving of the indicia formed therein. The image is transferred from the pad to the item onto which the indicia is applied.
In typical pad printers that uses a flat cliché plate, the cliché plate has the image to be printed etched into the plate. Ink is applied to (and excess wiped from) the cliché by an ink cup. The ink cup and cliché move relative to one another to apply ink to the cliché. After the ink cup and cliché are moved laterally to expose the image, the pad is brought into contact with the inked cliché (image) to pick up the ink (ink is transferred to the pad). The pad is then brought into contact with the item to transfer the print onto the item.
In a typical configuration the relative movement of the cliché and the ink cup is a straight-line vertical motion. This has served the industry well, however, there is known to be sloshing of ink in the ink cup, and the speed at which the ink cup moves is limited by the desire to maintain sloshing at a minimum. This, of course, limits the throughput of the printer.
Accordingly, there is a need for a pad printing system that provides greater printing throughput. Desirably, such a system provides for an increased number of stations or locations at which ink can be picked up from the cliché.